This invention relates to a filter fitting machine. In particular, the invention relates to a filter fitting machine of the type comprising an advancement roller provided with a plurality of peripheral seats each arranged to receive a group consisting of two cigarette portions separated by a double filter, each double filter being joined to the relative cigarette portions by a gummed band which is fed into contact with the double filter and is then wrapped about this latter and about one end of said cigarette portions by rolling the relative group in a rolling station. The continual increase in the production rate of cigarette manufacturing machines has required the construction of increasingly fast filter fitting machines in order to form cigarette production lines in which the outlet of each manufacturing machine can be connected to the inlet of a respective filter fitting machine.
This high-speed operation of filter fitting machines of known type has resulted in a serious problem deriving from the fact that before the rolling operation the said bands adhere to the groups only by one edge, in a "flag" arrangement. The result of this is that because of the high rotational speed of the advancement roller and the consequent high centrifugal force, the bands tend to separate from the groups. When this separation occurs, those groups without a connecting band must be removed. Secondly, those bands which fall off can disturb correct machine operation.